Pyotr Andreyevich didn’t sleep that night because his old pain, radiculitis, came back and made him restless. However, nothing worked until a miraculous ointment came from his neighbor and that alone solved the problem. He was able to move because of her support.
The pain was not as bad the next morning, so he could get out of bed. At the window, he knew what the weather would be like from his radiculitis and didn’t feel surprised by it. Because of the strong rain, the forest paths were quickly covered with mud.
The forester stepped away from the window and offered water for Kamal, his pet. Last year, his dog was found by him in the forest, barely staying alive. Because of the fight with a dangerous animal, the dog suffered a bad injury to its paw and had great difficulty walking.
Cosmonaut Andreevich nursed Kamal to good health and the two have become close friends since then.
The dog was exceptionally intelligent: it could locate any animal, performed its tasks perfectly and was the only living thing the forester had company with during the many quiet forest times. For over a decade, the man had no one else in his house.
Ten years ago his wife Maria Leonidovna died from a heart attack and Nadya—his daughter—had not returned to their home in years. She always imagined moving away from the village to live better in the city. She turned eighteen and left, saying goodbye to her parents and they didn’t see her again.
She finally married a wealthy person, however, that union did not last.
That period saw a number of events: people got married, got divorced, had children or had abortions. Unable to identify what she was meant to do, Nadya took every available opportunity. Throughout this time, Pyotr Andreyevich and his wife wanted to support the family financially, but they did not have much themselves.
Maria Leonidovna would shed many tears, carefully concerned about her daughter and it was too much for her heart to take. Even after a desperate telegram, her daughter refused to show up at her funeral. She never called, never sent me any message at all. This greatly damaged Pyotr Andreyevich and he ceased efforts to reconnect. Even alone in his little house, the huntsman’s job gave him pleasure and sense of purpose.
Furthermore, the head added that his responsibility was to guide people who were lost in life through a social assistance fund. Thanks to the fund, orphans, those without homes and ex-prisoners had a chance to begin again. Consequently, these boys were confided to the care of citizens who were involved in useful activities. Next, it was Pyotr Andreyevich who took part. In addition to his pension, the forester would collect a reward for helping in the eldercare service.
Pyotr Andreyevich jumped at the chance: finally, he would have company and Timur appeared to be true and forthcoming.
They didn’t have an easy start to their relationship. Timur stayed quiet and kept to himself which caused Pyotr Andreyevich to ask few questions. Soon, the forester began including the guy in the work they did. In the end, Timur built confidence and found out where he fit in. Kamal introduced his new tenant – the dog seemed to immediately see that they were good people. When she was home, she played with Timur, slept near him and always joined him on walks.
A routine patrol of the area happened for them during the early-morning cold one day. Kamal’s loud warning bark could be heard all of a sudden. Running to the noise, the men stood motionless when they saw a young female wolf trapped in a trap. The medical signs showed that she had been struggling for a long time to survive.
“Damn Makarov!” Pyotr Andreevich talked through a clenched jaw. The forest was filled with nasty traps left by this poacher and too many animals lost their lives.
His outrages were so many and so terrible that it’s hard to believe anyone could do them. The forest dwellers were plagued by his traps.
“Please stay away, Timur. She might be weak, but she is able to attack. The forester told him, “Quiet, Kamal!”
Pyotr Andreyevich walked toward the she-wolf and, speaking gently, freed her paw from the trap. The creature cried very little as it struggled, though no more fight was left in it.
The forester discovered two firm pine branches and lay the she-wolf on them. He then carried her to his home because aid was necessary. Agafya Vasilyevna, who gave her special ointment, helped them begin treatment. Once they called the she-wolf Rama, they started taking care of her. The animal got used to its new environment right away: it acted calmly, was not aggressive and after a period Pyotr Andreyevich could feed it from his hand.
Rama lived with the huntsman during the duration of the winter. Pyotr Andreevich judged by his wolf’s whining and howling that it was time to free her.
Timur was concerned about taking Zhana out so soon, saying her leg needed to become stronger first.
No, the time has come for her. It’s that time of year for mating and that’s why you’re seeing this behavior, explained the forester.
Two weeks passed before a terrible accident happened in the village. The same poacher, Makarov, also lost his daughter Veronica. She made the decision three years back to move away, go to the city for work and fell for a rich man. During only a few phone conversations, she told her mother that she would not long wait to become the wife of a rich man.
However, not long ago, Veronica came back pregnant. As soon as he found out about the child, he told her to leave. Neither the father nor the mother knew about the relationship – they wished their son something entirely different.
Makarov was infuriated when he saw his pregnant daughter. He ran after her using a shovel in his hand. Seeing her frightened, the girl fled which led to a large search now underway. Because it was getting very cold, everyone concentrated on saving the girl. In the search for fifth Cheton injuries, we had Pyotr Andreyevich, Timur and Kamal all assisting us.
They searched more of the forest, but nothing was found. Civil twilight was seen, when Rama, the she-wolf, suddenly showed up in their midst. Meeting Pyotr Andreyevich’s eye, she suddenly left him and took off running. Every few paces, she faced back with a look that suggested she wanted him to follow.
The huntsman recognized everything right away.
“There!” shouted Kavram and the men raced after the female wolf.
When they were running to the river, they could hear a very loud scream. Veronica was fighting against the ice, hoping to get free, with no success. Timur wasted no time: he grabbed a pole, walked slowly across the thin ice toward the girl and delivered the improvised rescue device to her. She gripped the stick firmly and let Timur drag her into a somewhat safe location. Immediately, he took the girl’s jacket off, gave it to her, wrapped her up and held her as they headed toward the ambulance.
The girl went to the hospital and Makarov was brought to the police to be questioned. Timur really worried about Veronica and was always checking with her mother about how she felt. She calmed him by saying his daughter was safe and would visit again very soon.
Two days after they were apart, Timur felt he had to see his daughter and went to the hospital. He came back to Rome, but this time with Veronica.
Pyotr Andreyevich, can we bring Veronica here to stay with us? Where can she stay, he wondered.
During the visit, Veronica’s mother admitted that Makarov was allowed to go free – she simply talked her daughter out of citing him for abuse, saying he had lost control for a time. Because the girl didn’t want to upset anyone, she agreed. However, Makarov simply went on living like usual.
Pyotr Andreyevich took joy in inviting Veronica to stay in his house. On the same night, however, he decided to visit Makarov. Meeting the poacher, the gamekeeper simply said that there was no more to hide: he had found out about the traps, illegal hunting and selling meat from wild animals to restaurants. He advised Makarov to leave her alone and not threaten her or the details would be turned over to the police. All the poacher did was make a sneering face.
While this took place, Timur and Veronica started feeling a warmth for one another. They both had plenty of free time and Pyotr Andreyevich realized that it wouldn’t take long for the couple to get married. The spring came and Veronica delivered a sweet girl. Timur didn’t wait long before proposing to her. Pyotr Andreyevich was truly happy, as his house was full of children’s laughter, talking and cheer.
Still, fate’s lessons were not the same for Makarov. Once, during a different “hunt”, he dove after a wolf, running so quickly he came across one of his waiting traps. A terrible pain shot through his leg and he knew he couldn’t move. Despite working at it for hours, he could not get free. He was getting ready for the worst when he recognized the footsteps.
Pyotr Andreyevich was on his usual evening tour of the territory at that moment. Not hesitating, the wildlife ranger released the trapped man, dragged him to his home and called the ambulance. The incident had a big impact on Makarov. He spent time walking through the forest, disassembling all his traps and afterwards vowed never to use them. When he returned, he thoughtfully apologized to Pyotr Andreyevich for what he had done. Because he was treated with kindness and met his granddaughter, he was able to bring consideration and healing to his past. Makarov has changed since then and work in the forestry industry kept going as usual.